Renewable cartridge-fuse.



JOHN MAXWELL COOTE, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY..

" EENEWABLE CARTRIDGE-Fusil.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 12, 1918.

Application filed April 13, 1917. Serial No. 161,753.

To all lwhom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, J CHN MAXWELL CooTE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident -of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new-and useful Improvements in Renewable vcomposed .of but two parts.

Cartridge-Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in electrical fuses, more particularly of the cartridge ferrule type, wherein a fusible wire or link is held in a tubular insulating member between two cap or contact members.

The present invention has for its object to provide a fuse of this character wherein the said fusible element may be inexpensively and readily replaced in case the same is blown by excessive current, and wherein the ferrule portion is extremely simple, being It has for a further object to insure, without the use of chucks or the like, a positive and substantial full sectional contact between the said fusible element and the contact caps; and to so' locatel the former with respect to the latter that it will not be twisted off or cut off at the contacting portion.

In vthe accompanying l drawings, which illustrate the invention- Figure 1 'is a front elevation of the improved fuse, partly in section.

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a modification,

Fig. 4 being an end View, andFig. 5 a sectional view of the modified cap.'

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a further modification.

Similar characters of reference designate tively. The fusible element, which may con- ,sist of a wire 13 of the rated capacity, as

shown in Figs. 1 to 3,-or of a link 14, Figs. 4 to 6,' is adapted to be retained by thesaid caps, in manner hereinafter set forth, within the cartridge 10; and may be surrounded 1n the former embodiment by anon-fusible gas absorbing filling material as sand, plaster of Paris, chalk, asbestos or the llke, as is well understood. It may be found desirable,

also, to concentrate at the inner ends loose threaded fiber or asbestos; n

In order to properly secure thev fusible element tothe respective caps, reference being` had mor-e particularly to the yembondim'ents` shown in Figs. 1 to 3 wherein a fusible wire 1s employed, each of the said caps is provided with a diametral slot or kerf 15 xtending from the top 'to the interiorof the .tive ends of the cartridge-.` One end of the fuse wire is first firmly secured in position by providing an eye 16=thereon and locking the same to the cap ll-by means of afscrew 17.` An opening 1S4 isl drilled for this purpose through the upper portion of the cap at right angles to the kerf 15 and provided with a tapped inner portion beyond said kerf to lock the screw; and also to securely draw the two hseparated portions ofthe cap together wi" 1V the eye 16 Abetween same. thereby insuring a positive .and ample full sectional contact. n thus been firmly located, theV cartridge is screwed into position on said cap 11 and filled, if desired, and cap 412 screwed on, the turning of same being without effect on the wire. The other end of said wire is then turned over a screw 19 and the latter turned to firmly mount said end in the cap'lQ.

lVhen employing a link fusible element 14. for example of the notched character lshown in Fig. 6, the ends of this link are provided with suitable perforations 20 through which the screws of the cap may pass; but it must be bornel in mind that provision must then be madewh-ereby a cap .canzbe freely screwed on to the cartridge without rotating the said link relatively thereto. "For this purpose. in the embodiment disclosed in 'Figs'. 4 and 5. a plurality of chuck members or pieces Q1, are mounted in a central opening 22 of one vo f the caps as the cap Q3, which is also provided with a kerf 24 as inthe previous instance. In screwing down said cap, the fusible element 14. which isheld between thev chuck pieces, will not be affected by the-turn- After Athe oneY end has ing of the said cap, which moves freely about the said chuck members 21. A screw 25, however', is provided to pass through an opening 26 drilled into the cap and through the chuck members, the inner end of said opening beyond the kerf being tapped to loc-k the screw. In locking the screw, the said chuck members will be drawn up tightly to secure the one end of the fusible link 14 and insure proper contact.

t O r, as disclosed in Fig. 6, caps 30 and 31, snnllar to those shown in Figs. 1 to 3, may be employed, provided the threads of same and of the corresponding ends of the tubular member 32 are arranged to run infopposite directions, thus enabling the said caps to bedrawn toward each other on saiidtube by rotating the latter and holdingthe former against rotation. The position of the link 14 relatively to the caps 30 and 31 is thereby not disturbed; and tosecure same tothe caps for proper contact, it is necessarymerely to tighten corresponding screws 433 and 34 as in the previously described.

embodiments. The screws pass through corresponding. perforations 35 and 36 of the link, and one of which, as the perforation 36, is in the nature of a slot.

The fuse hereinbefore described is so constructed that it is extremely efficient in operation, readily disassembled for a substitution of a new fuse element, and is as readily assembled, requiring no particular skill or special tools 1n either case. Furthermore,there are no projectingiparts of the fuse, but the same presents a smooth --and finished appearance and the length of same over all remains always the same. A minimum of parts' are employed and the contacts are made to the caps or ferrules independently of the tube portion, thus obviatin the possibility of loosening contacts by di erence in expansion and-contraction dueto temperature variations. There is, furthermore, a large section of metal for heat dissipation and ample opening for gas ventilation.

' I claim:

'An electrical fuse cartridge, comprising'z' a tubular casingof insulating material, and a fuse element therein; cap members at each end thereof, at least one of said members being provided with a longitudinal kerf within which is located one end of the fuse element; and means passing through said kerf to hold said fuse element end therein and to insure positive contact between the same and the sides of said kerf by drawing the separated portions of the cap together.

2. An electrical fuse cartridge, comprising: a tubular casing of insulating material, having oppositely threaded ends, and a fuse element in said casing; cap members fitting. over each end of said casing and rotatable athereon, at least one of said cap 3. An electrical fuse cartridge,V comprising: a tubular casing of insulating material, and a 'fuse element therein; cap members at each end thereof, one of said cap members being provided with a longitudinal diametral kerf within which is located one end-of the fuse element; and a screw passing through said cap at right angles to said kerf to hold the fusible element end therein and to draw the separated portions of the cap together topinsure a positive contact between the said element and the said cap.

4. An electrical fuse cartridge, comprising: a tubular casing of insulating material, and a fuse element therein; cap members at each end thereof,. one of said cap members being provided with a longitudinal diametral kerf adapted to receive an end of the fuse element; and a screw passing through said ca at right angles to said kerf and throug said fusible element to hold the fusible element therein and to draw the separated portions of the cap together to insure a positive contact between the said element and the Said cap. 5. An electrical fuse cartridge, comprising: a tubular casing of insulating material; cap members at each end thereof, one of said cap members being provided with alongitudinal diametral kerf adapted to receive an end of the fuse element and of width determining the character of the fuse element employed; a screw passing through said cap at right angles to said kerf to hold the fusible element therein and to draw the separated portions -of the cap together to insure a positive contact between the said element and the said cap; and a fusible link provided with perforations at each end 'adapted to receive the said screw to be locked thereby to said cap, and to make positive contact with said caps when the screw is drawn tight.

6. An electrical fuse cartridge, comprising: a tubularcasing of insulating material, having oppositely threadedends; cap members adapted to be screwed thereon and provided with a longitudinal kerf; and a fusible link fitting the kerf of Said caps ywhich are adapted to be screwed upon the tubular casing ends about the projecting link ends; and means passing through said link and into said caps to secure the former tothe latter and insure positive contact between same.

7. An electrical fuse cartridge, comprising: a tubular casing of insulating material, having oppositely threaded ends; cap members adapted to be screwed thereon and 'provided with a longitudinal kerf; a fusi` latter to the caps and insure positive contact ble link provided with a. perforation at one therewith. end and a longitudinal slot at the other; Signed at New York, in the county of 10 and screws passing, into said caps trans- New York and State of New York, this 4th 5 versely through the kerf thereof and respecday of April, A.v D. 1917.

tively through the perforation and longitudinal slot of the fusible link to secure the J. MAXWELL COOTE. 

